Negri Sembilan recorded its third Japanese Encephalitis (JE) case this year after a six-year-old boy was admitted into the Hospital Tuanku Jaafar Hospital (HTJ) intensive care unit last month.
The state’s health director Dr Abdul Rahim Abdullah told The New Straits Times that the boy, who is from Kuala Pilah, had been receiving treatment at HTJ since May 20 after he was confirmed to have contracted the disease.
“He was first admitted to the Tuanku Najihah Hospital on May 18, but was transferred to HTJ after his condition worsened.”
“The blood test results have confirmed that the boy is JE-positive. We will continue to monitor his condition,” Abdul Rahim was quoted as saying.
However, Abdul Rahim dismissed notions that the three cases reported in the state this year were related to each other.
A type of viral brain infection that is spread through mosquito bites, JE primarily spreads through domestic pigs and birds. Those who are affected by the disease will experience high fever, headache and in serious cases, seizure.
Malaysia suffered its worst JE outbreak back in 1998 when the virus spread from the Kinta Valley, Perak to around 250 km south in Sikamat and Bukit Pelanduk in Negri Sembilan, resulting in a total of 69 deaths.
